home > Psychology of betrayal > What does the icon of the Pochaev mother of God look like. Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev

What does the icon of the Pochaev mother of God look like. Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev

Pochaev Assumption Lavra - one of the four laurels of the Russian Empire, a stronghold of Orthodoxy, standing in southwestern Russia, in Volyn (now the territory of the Ternopil region of Ukraine). This is a place where the boundaries of empires, civilizations, and worldviews have clashed for centuries. Until 1914, only 8 versts from here lay the border with Austria-Hungary, and the fame of Pochaev's shrines reached not only neighboring Galicia, but also Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Serbia.

Once it was a mountain overgrown with forest, in whose caves the monks labored, formerly the Kiev-Pechersk recluses, who took refuge here after the ruin of the mother of Russian cities by Batu in 1240.

In the same 13th century, two of these nameless ascetics, together with the local shepherd Ivan Barefoot, were honored with a great miracle - the appearance of the Most Pure One in a pillar of fire over the Pochaev rock. At the place where She stood that night and prayed, on a dense limestone stone, there was a trace of the right Foot of the Virgin, the oldest of the Pochaev shrines. The foot is always filled with clean and healing water from a source that scored on the same night.

Soon the monks built at the foot of the mountain the first stone church in the name of the Dormition; now in its place rises a huge Cathedral of the Assumption, which embraces the mountain itself, the caves, the Foot and the holy spring, built in the 1780s in the Baroque style. The cathedral rises like a rock in the middle of the endless surrounding fields and is visible for many kilometers from the town of Pochaev itself.

But then, in the XIII century, with the collapse of Russia and the gradual falling away of its southwestern lands, the monastery also fell into decay.

The secondary foundation of the monastery dates back to the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. In 1559, the Greek Metropolitan Neophyte, who was passing through these places, stopped for the night at the pious landowner Anna Goyskaya and, in gratitude for the cordial welcome, left the image of the Mother of God of Constantinople as a keepsake for the hostess.

For three decades, the icon stood in the house chapel in the village of Urlya (8 versts from Pochaev), and then began to emit a mysterious glow at night, like that a pillar of fire, in which, three hundred years before, the Most Pure One herself appeared here. The Goyskys interpreted this as the desire of the Queen of Heaven to stay in the revived Pochaev monastery, where they transferred the image along with rich gifts - after the blind-born brother of the hostess, Philip Kozinsky, received his sight through prayer before this icon.

After Anna's death in 1644, all the surrounding lands went to her nephew, who hated Orthodoxy. He robbed the monastery and took the icon. However, he and his wife were immediately struck by a severe illness, and the spouses were healed only after they returned the miraculous image to the monastery.

Since then, the miraculous remains in, in a special icon case in the form of a shining star, in the third tier above royal doors iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral. From there it is specially lowered for the worship of pilgrims), Pochaevskaya became famous for numerous miracles.

Pochaevskaya belongs to the Eleusa type; The Eternal Infant sits on Her right hand, in her left hand is a kerchief covering the Son of God. On the lists with the miraculous at the bottom, the Foot of the Virgin is also usually written.

By intercession, the Most Pure Monastery remained faithful to Orthodoxy even during the time of the Polish-Lithuanian rule, staunchly resisting the planting of Uniatism in these places.

The Mother of God also showed her wondrous help during the siege of the monastery by the Turks in 1675. Then the Agarians completely surrounded the wooden buildings of the monastery and threatened to set fire to them. The monks fell to the image of the Lady, praying for intercession.

And then the Turks saw a terrible vision in the sky above the cathedral: the Blessed One hovered over Her abode in a radiant radiance and extended Her Omophorus over her, surrounded by an angelic army with flaming swords. Next to the Lady stood recently (in 1651) the reposed hegumen of Pochaev, the Monk Job, and together with the earthly brethren, begged Her for help.

Blinded by the heavenly radiance, the Agarians began to kill each other and fled away from the place that was terrible for them.

Despite its steadfastness in Orthodoxy, the Pochaev monastery was in 1713 forcibly transferred to the jurisdiction of the Uniates and remained in it until the defeat of the Polish rebellion of 1831; returned to the bosom of Orthodoxy, in 1833 the monastery was awarded the most honorable name of the Lavra with the assignment of "the fourth place among the laurels existing in Russia" (Kiev-Pechersk, Trinity-Sergius and Alexander Nevsky).

In Moscow, the revered image of the Pochaev Icon is kept in the ever-closed Peter and Paul Church in Lefortovo, where it was brought in the 1930s, at the height of godless persecution.

The celebration of Pochaevskaya takes place on July 23 according to the Christian chronology (on the same day as the image of All Who Sorrow with joy “with pennies”). Stichera of Pochaev reads:

Come, Russian cathedrals,
and from all tongues, faith, gather,
we will climb Mount Pochaevskaya and into the house of the Mother of God,
and see the place of her foot,
where in the fiery pillar of old appeared,
and from the source from which it emanated,
by faith we receive sprinkling,
and worship the miraculous icon of Her,
asking for forgiveness of our sins,
and great mercy to our souls.

Troparion, tone 5:

Before your holy icon, Lady,
those who pray for healing are granted,
Faith accepts true knowledge
and Agarian invasions reflect.
The same for us, who fall to You,
ask forgiveness of sins
thoughts of piety of our hearts enlighten
and lift up a prayer to your Son for the salvation of our souls.

It is rightfully considered one of the most important shrines of the Orthodox world. Its importance and power cannot be overestimated. She is able to work real miracles if you pray correctly and come to her with a pure heart. The icon is famous for the incredible number of cases of holy healing that took place right in front of it. The icon depicts the Mother of God descending to Pochaev Hill. After her quick disappearance, only the print of her foot remained on the mountain. Sometimes this trace is depicted on purpose, as it enhances the effect of the icon. It has hundreds of thousands of miracles, the most memorable of which the monks recorded in their annals.

Well, now we know what power the Pochaev Mother of God icon has. In what way does it help the asking person? Read about it below.

When will an icon help you?

Let's look at the main cases when it is worth turning to the Pochaev Mother of God:

it is believed that she protects the house from thieves;
the icon in the house has a calming effect on all family members, gives them peace and sets them up for the right actions;
relieves quarrels;
help to recover from physical and spiritual blindness, to find their own way;
directs a person to the path of correction, even if he is mired in sinful deeds;
strengthens the spirit and faith;
directs heavenly help in any business with regular prayers;
relieves many physical diseases, even when doctors give up.

In order to receive help from the Mother of God through the icon, you must be able to pray correctly. This is very important point which few people pay enough attention to. Huge heavenly power has an icon of the Pochaev Mother of God, which helps thousands of believers.

Correct prayer should be heartfelt - this is the main and only rule. What does it mean? When a person prays, he should not reflect on the wording of the request, on its appearance from the outside and other trifles. All this only distracts and takes away the energy of the heart, which could strengthen prayer many times over. It is important to completely disconnect from what is happening, to feel with all your soul how much you desire something. Prayer should come from the very depths of your soul, be sincere, frantic and filled with your energy. Only in this case can one receive help from the Mother of God of Pochaev, who answers everyone who comes to her with pure thoughts and strong faith.

In order to get help, you can embroider an icon yourself. This must be done in church and in a certain frame of mind. Thoughts must be pure, you must fully concentrate on your request and be in this state throughout the work.

We learned what power the Pochaev Mother of God icon has, how and in what way it helps. Remember that only from heaven. By gaining faith, people can turn to the divine forces for any help, and they will help them, guide and protect them.

POCHAYEV ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD

Pochaev icon The Mother of God is widely revered both in the Orthodox and in Catholic Church. Its history is inextricably linked with the Pochaev Monastery in honor of the Assumption Holy Mother of God(Ukraine), where it has been for about 400 years. But even long before that, Pochaevskaya Mountain was marked by the grace of the Mother of God. Over 500 years ago, when the mountain was completely uninhabited, two monks came and settled in a small cave. They were the witnesses of the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God.

Sometime in 1340, one of them after ordinary prayer wanted to climb to the top of the mountain. And suddenly he saw the Mother of God, surrounded by flames and standing on a stone. He immediately called another hermit, who was also worthy to contemplate a wonderful vision. All this was seen by a shepherd named John Barefoot. He ran up the mountain, where he found both monks, and all three of them glorified God. On the stone where the Mother of God stood, the imprint of the right foot of the Most Pure One remained forever impressed. In this foot of the Mother of God there is still water, it never decreases and never overflows.

Pochaevska herselfi ikshe appeared in the monastery in the following way. In 1559, the Greek Metropolitan Neophyte went from Constantinople to Moscow for help. Passing through Volyn, he visited the noblewoman Anna Goyskaya, who lived on the estate of Orlya, not far from Pochaev. The “god-slaying” Goyskaya cordially received the distinguished guest and, as usual, showed him the deepest respect. In gratitude for her hospitality, Metropolitan Neophyte blessed her with an ancient icon of the Mother of God with the Eternal Child, which he brought with him from Constantinople and kept with him as a family shrine.

For thirty years, the icon received by Goyskaya stood in her castle chapel. But gradually, Goyskaya's family began to notice that some unusual light was coming from the icon. The servants informed the landowner about this, but for a long time she did not want to believe their stories, until, finally, she herself saw the icon “in great light” in a dream. Goyskaya then lit an inextinguishable lamp in front of her. When her lame brother Philip was healed from the icon, in 1597 she gave the icon to the monks who settled on Mount Pochaev. A church was erected on the rock in honor of the Assumption of the Mother of God, and with it a monastery was created, for the maintenance of which Goyskaya gave funds. Since then, the icon has been called Pochaevskaya.

After the death of Goyskaya, Pochaev Mountain went to her nephew, a Lutheran and a hater of Orthodoxy, Andrei Firlei. He robbed the monastery and seized the icon, which he had kept at home for twenty years. One day he decided to mock an Orthodox shrine. Having called the guests, he dressed his wife in robes Orthodox priest, gave her a chalice in her hands, and she began to loudly shout blasphemy at the Mother of God and Her icons. But she was immediately punished. She began to torment evil spirit, and she was freed from a terrible illness only after her husband returned the Pochaev icon to the monastery.
Once a monk of the Pochaev Monastery was captured by the Tatars. Being in captivity, he recalled the Pochaev Monastery, its shrines, divine services, hymns. The monk especially grieved at the approach of the feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos and tearfully prayed to the Mother of God for deliverance from captivity. And so, through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, one day the walls of the dungeon disappeared, and the monk found himself at the walls of the Pochaev monastery.

In the summer of 1675, during the Zbarazh war with the Turks, during the reign of the Polish king Jan Sobessky (1674-1696), regiments consisting of Tatars, led by Khan Nurredin, approached the Pochaev monastery through Vyshnevets, surrounding it from three sides. The weak monastery fence, like several stone buildings of the monastery, did not provide any protection for the besieged. Hegumen Joseph Dobromirsky persuaded the brethren and laity to turn to heavenly intercessors: the Most Holy Theotokos and the Monk Job of Pochaev (Comm. 28 October).

The monks and laity prayed earnestly, falling down to the miraculous image of the Mother of God and to the shrine with the relics of St. Job. On the morning of July 23, at sunrise, the Tatars began to storm the monastery, and the abbot ordered the akathist of the Mother of God to be sung. With the first words of the Chosen Voivode, the Most Pure Theotokos Herself suddenly appeared above the temple with heavenly angels holding naked swords. The Monk Job was near the Mother of God, bowing to Her and praying for the protection of the monastery. The Tatars mistook the heavenly host for a ghost, in confusion they began to shoot at the Most Holy Theotokos and the Monk Job, but the arrows returned back and wounded those who let them go. Horror seized the enemy. In a stampede, not dismantling their own, they killed each other. The defenders of the monastery rushed in pursuit and captured many. Some prisoners subsequently took Christian faith and remained in the monastery forever. In memory of the deliverance of the Assumption Pochaev Lavra from the Turkish siege, a celebration was established in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God July 23 (August 5).

In 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. However, even in this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery chronicle recorded 539 miracles from the famous Orthodox shrine. During the reign of the Uniates, in the second half of the 18th century, for example, the Uniate Count Nikolai Pototsky became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra due to the following miraculous circumstance. Accusing his coachman that the enraged horses turned over the carriage, the count took out a pistol to kill him. The coachman, turning to Mount Pochaev, raised his hands and exclaimed: "Mother of God, revealed in the Pochaev icon, save me!" Pototsky tried several times to fire a pistol, which never betrayed him, but the weapon misfired. The coachman survived. Potocki immediately went to miraculous icon and decided to devote himself and all his property to the establishment of the monastery. With his funds, the Assumption Cathedral and the fraternal building were built.

In 1773, the faces of the infant Christ and the Virgin were crowned by two crowns of pure gold sent by Pope Clement XIV.
In 1831, when the union was destroyed, Pochaev went over to the Orthodox and was named the Pochaev Lavra. Catholics spread rumors that the miraculous icon, having left Pochaev, was transferred to the neighboring Dominican monastery, lying in Austria. But more and more healings denied these rumors. So, in 1832, the blind girl Anna Akimchukova came to Pochaev with her 70-year-old grandmother 200 miles away - from Kamenetz-Podolsk. After praying at the icon and washing her eyes with water from the foot of the Mother of God, she suddenly began to see. Her grandmother, who held onto the Uniatism, was struck by a miracle, immediately converted to Orthodoxy. In memory of this event, a weekly, on Saturdays, reading of the cathedral akathist in front of the miraculous icon was established.

In 1869, the icon was decorated with a golden riza studded with precious stones and inserted into a star-shaped kiot, the rays of which were lined with pearls and emeralds. The size of the icon is small - 30x23 cm. It is written in the ancient Byzantine script and belongs to the iconographic type "Tenderness". The image of the Mother of God is half-length. On the right hand is Her Eternal Infant, in the left is a robe covering the Infant. In addition, there are Greek inscriptions on the icon, and miniature images of saints in the margins: the prophet Elijah, Saint Mina, the First Martyr Stephen, the Monk Martyr Abraham, the Great Martyrs Catherine, Paraskeva and Irina.

In the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra, a large icon is kept, which is also called Pochaevskaya. It was arranged by the people of Kiev in memory of the deliverance of Kyiv from cholera in 1848 and is considered miraculous. On it below is the foot of the Mother of God. Icons of this type are called “stacked”, in contrast to those where there are faces of saints - “with the upcoming ones”.

About 300 miraculous icons with the image of the Mother of God "Pochaevskaya" are known.

During the Great Patriotic War, when Pochaev was occupied by the Nazis, the icon was hidden at home and saved by Archdeacon Stratonik (†1985), who served in the Pochaev Lavra for sixty years.

More than half a century ago, on June 17, 1950, a miraculous healing nun Varvara, who was paralyzed in both legs for 48 years. She came from the city of Chkalov (now Orenburg), moving with difficulty on crutches with the help of her companion, nun Maria. Having venerated the list of the miraculous image of the Mother of God, the nun immediately got to her feet. The crutches she left in the monastery still stand by the icon of the Holy Mother of God, testifying to the miracle that happened.

HOLY SUSPENSK POCHAEV LAVRA

Dome of the main church

In 1991, the Uniates tried to seize the Pochaev Lavra. Buses with raiders have already left Lviv. The monks and laity, who came to the monastery at the call of the monastery bell, began to read akathists to the Mother of God and to the Monk Job of Pochaev in front of the miraculous image of the Mother of God. The prayer went on all night. The buses never made it to the Lavra.

In Moscow, in the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Leftovo there is the miraculous Pochaev icon. It was brought to the temple in the 1930s.

The miraculous list of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God (the Pochaev Icon was in Moscow in 2001) is also in the Trinity Cathedral of St. Danilov Monastery.

The celebration of the icon takes place July 23/August 5 and September 8/21 .

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

for the Temple Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills

Troparion, tone 5:
Before Your holy icon, the Lady, those who pray for healing are granted, the true knowledge of faith is accepted, and the Agarian invasions are repulsed. The same for us who fall to You, ask for forgiveness of sins, enlighten the thoughts of the piety of our hearts, and offer up a prayer to Your Son for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion, tone 1:
The source of healing and faith is the Orthodox affirmation of Your Pochaev icon, the Mother of God, appear, the same for us, flowing to her, from troubles and temptations of freedom, save Your laurel unscathed, affirm Orthodoxy in the surrounding countries standing and forgive Your prayer book for sins: if you wish, you can .

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos before the icon of Her Pochaevskaya:
To Thee, O Mother of God, we prayerfully flow, sinners, Thy wonders, holy laurel Revealed more pochaev, remembrance and of their contrite sins. Vems, Mistress, vems, as if it is not befitting to us, sinners, what to ask, only about the hedgehog of the Righteous Judge of our iniquity leave us. All of us endured in life, sorrows, and needs, and illnesses, as the fruits of our falls are vegetating to us, this God to allow our correction. The same, all this, with His truth and judgment, the Lord has brought upon His sinful servants, even in their sorrows to Your intercession, Most Pure, flowing and in tenderness of hearts to You cry out to You: our sins and iniquities, Good, do not remember, but more than all-honestly raise up Your hands , to Your Son and God, stand up, so that the cruelty that we have done will let us go, but for many unfulfilled promises our face will not turn away from His servants, but will not take away His grace, contributing to our salvation, from our souls. To her, the Lady, be the intercessor to our salvation and, not disdaining our cowardice, look at our groaning, even in our troubles and sorrows before your miraculous image we lift up. Enlighten our minds with tender thoughts, strengthen our faith, affirm our hope, make us accept the sweetest gift of love. With this, O Most Pure One, with gifts, and not with diseases and sorrows, let our belly be raised to salvation, but, protecting our souls from despondency and despair, deliver us, the weak, from troubles that come upon us, and needs, and human slander, and unbearable diseases . Grant peace and prosperity to the Christian life through Your intercession, Lady, affirm Orthodox faith in our country and throughout the world. Do not betray the Apostolic and Catholic Church to belittle, preserve the charters of the holy fathers unshakably forever and save all those who flow to You from the pit of perdition. Also bring the heresy of our deceived brethren or the saving faith in the sinful passions of those who have destroyed the packs to true faith and repentance, and together with us, worshiping Your miraculous image, Your intercession will be confessed. Vouchsafe us, Most Holy Lady Theotokos, even in this belly to see the victory of truth with Your intercession, vouchsafe us grace-filled joy before our death to perceive, as anciently the inhabitants of Pochaev By Your appearance, the victors and educators of the Agarians showed Thou that we all with a grateful heart, together with the Angels, and prophets, and apostles, and with all the saints, Your mercy is glorifying, we will give glory, honor and worship in the Trinity to the sung God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. A min.

The Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is known in Orthodox world. On August 5 and September 21, solemn services are held in all parishes in her honor. This is one of the shrines of the peoples of the Slavic states. Together with the Orthodox, people of other faiths also come to worship her.

Historical information about the appearance of the Holy Face of the Virgin

It was 1559, when the Greek Metropolitan Neophyte visited Volhynia on his way to the Patriarch of Moscow. Never did a priest leave Constantinople without a cherished shrine, a generic image of the Mother of God with the Child, bestowing blessings on a long journey.

The nobles of the Goisky gave the hierarch a warm welcome, for their sincere hospitality he blessed the hostess Anna Goiskaya, a widow, with the image of the Holy Mother with the Child, with whom he had never parted until now.

The family chapel of the Goiskys kept the holy face for almost 30 years. The inhabitants of the estate have repeatedly noticed the wondrous glow emanating from the holy image.

1597 was a significant year for the Goysky family. Philip Kozinsky, the brother of the noblewoman Anna, fully recovered his sight, suffering from congenital blindness. After that, the miraculous face several times sent signs of healing to family members who came to him with prayers.

The pious noblewoman realized that holy image should serve many people, she donated the icon to Pochaev.

After some time, Andrei Firlei, who became the heir to the icon, after the death of the God-fearing Anna, laid claim to the holy face, took it away from the monastery for as long as 20 years. God did not forgive such a mockery of the image of the Virgin, struck the wife of Firlei with insanity.

For 100 years, the Pochaev Monastery has been guarded by the Queen of Heaven, until the Zbarazh War of 1675 began. The Turks surrounded the monastery in a dense ring, throwing clouds of arrows at it. Suddenly, the sky lit up with the image of the Mother of God, surrounded by hordes of angels, next to Reverend Job. All the arrows fired by the Turks at the Queen of Heaven, the angels, began to return, hitting the enemy with his own weapons.

The Turkish regiments shamefully fled from the wrath of the Virgin. It was August 5, a day that is still celebrated today as the feast of the Pochaevskaya Icon of the Mother of God.

The year 1721 came, Catholics - Uniates became the owners of the Holy Icon of Our Lady of Pochaev. Being under the protection of the Uniates, the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was crowned in 1773. Golden crowns appeared above the heads of Saint Mary and the Child.

1831 brought Orthodox Church holiday - the miraculous shrine was returned under the protection of Pochaev, the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra is consecrated with the image of the Virgin and Child, surrounded by saints.

Decorations with a gold riza, inlaid with precious stones, and a star-shaped kiot completely transformed the shrine. Since 1869, the image has become the way it can be seen above the royal gates of the Lavra.

Under the vaults of the Lavra, which belongs to the Moscow Patriarchate, on Saturdays an akathist to the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God sounds, a memory of the miraculous return of sight to a girl blind from birth.

Icon "Pochaevskaya" in what helps, what protects

On an ordinary linden board, the face of the Most Pure Mother of God is painted with oil paints in the Byzantine style. Initially, the shrine was covered on top with a thin silver plate, but after a while it was lost, and to replace it, the image was decorated with a riza of small pearls.

On the image is the image of the Mother of God with the Divine Infant, whom She holds on her right hand. The legs and back of Christ are covered with a scarf, with His right hand He blesses, and left hand holding on the mother's shoulder. She bowed her head to the Son - which is a symbol of boundless love.

On the mountain where the Lavra is now located, two monks lived. Once, after a prayer, one of them went to the top of the mountain and saw there, as if engulfed in flames, standing on a stone, the Most Pure Mother of God. The monk called another monk, and the third witness of the miraculous phenomenon was an ordinary shepherd. Climbing the mountain, the three of them began to glorify the Lord and the Virgin Mary.

After the disappearance of the phenomenon, on the stone where the Mother of God stood, there was an imprint of Her foot. This imprint is still there, always filled with water. And despite the fact that many pilgrims collect this water for healing, it miraculously appears again.

What do they pray for the icon of the "Pochaevskaya" Mother of God

The holy image helps to strengthen the spirit and faith, directs to the righteous path. Believers come to Her with heartfelt prayers:

about the health of their loved ones, healing from diseases visible and invisible;
with requests to grant peace and tranquility in the home and family, to save from misfortune and quarrels;
about protecting your monastery from uninvited guests, thieves;
they ask for admonition to sinners and deliverance from unclean thoughts.

Prayers to the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Pochaevskaya"

Prayer one

Oh, the All-Merciful Lady, Queen and Mistress, chosen from all generations, and blessed by all generations of heaven and earth!

Look graciously at this people standing before Your holy icon and fervently praying to You, and make intercession and intercession with Your Son and our God, so that no one leaves from here his hopes thin and put to shame in his hope, but may everyone receive everything from You, according to the good desire of his heart and according to his need and need, for the salvation of the soul and for the health of the body.

Look with mercy, O All-Singing Mother of God, and have loved this monastery, which is called by Your name, from ancient times, having chosen it as your property, and abundantly exuding currents of healing from Your miraculous icon and from the ever-flowing source, in the footprint of Your foot, open to us, and save me from every pretense and slander of the enemy, as if of old you have kept your appearance whole and unharmed from the fierce invasion of the Hagarites, let the Most Holy Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit be sung and glorified in it, and Your glorious Assumption, forever and ever.

Prayer two

Our Blessed Queen, Blessed Lady, Our Hope to the Theotokos!

We now flow to You with tenderness, and with a contrite soul and a humble heart we pray to Thee, O All-Poster, before Your Most Pure image:

remember Thy ancient bounties, even from Thee who were here, and as if sometimes you appeared on the rock of Pochaevste, in a pillar of fire, exuding healthy water from a stone, and now appear to us, Mother of great power, and with the warmth of the Mother of God of Thy love, warm our petrified hearts, tears love and repentance unrepentant from our eyes is tearing.

You are one, our God-given Intercessor:

We pray to you, deliver us from all troubles, from all misfortunes, illness and sorrow, Thy servant, through the intercession of the great intercessor and Thy prayer book for us, our all-blessed father Job, Thy saint Pochaev, whose prayer you listened to in the air sometimes, sometimes all-glorious and By your terrible appearance, you delivered your abode from the invasion and taxation of the Hagarites.

Look with mercy, All-Perhaps, with the look of Thy merciful intercession, and on the whole kingdom and our country, and on all Thy people, pour out Thy rich mercy:

Gather the scattered, infidels and non-believers, in our countries, guide the true path, who have fallen away from the pious fatherly faith, return the packs and reckon them with Your Holy Orthodoxy and Catholic Churches;

establish peace in our families, support old age, instruct young ones, raise babies, intercede for orphans and widows, heal captive freedom, heal those who are sick, in judgment and in dungeons, and in confinement, and in the bitter work of those who exist, remember, guarding us, visiting and comforting currents of miracles and signs of many different things, which you pour out to everyone from Thy holy icon of the wholesome.

Grant, O All-good One, fertility to the earth, good air and everything, even for our benefit, timely and useful gifts, by the prayers of Your chosen saints, Your grace-filled face on holy icon Your surroundings:

Elijah the God-speaking, the holy Archdeacon Stephen the First-Far, the Monk Abraham the All-Blessed, and the God-man Mina the Martyr of Many Names, and with them a bunch of holy and righteous wives:

Paraskeva the most praised, Irina the blessed and St. Catherine the great martyr, long-suffering, and all the saints.

When our departure from this life and the resettlement to eternity comes in time, present yourself to us, Blessed One, as if sometimes you hastened to Your monastery for salvation during the battle of Zbarazh, and with Your warm intercession, grant us the Christian death of our belly painless, shameless, peaceful and Holy Mysteries participate;

Yes, as if in this life, in this life and in the future, we will be honored by all, by Your prayers, endless heavenly life in the Kingdom of Your beloved Son, the Lord God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, all glory, honor and worship befits Him, forever and ever.

Many Christian shrines are scattered around the world. The lion's share of them are all kinds of images of the Mother of God. Each of these icons helps in certain situations, heals from certain physical or mental ailments. A large number of holy canvases, which depict the Blessed Virgin with the Divine Infant in her arms, are miraculous. The Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is also considered such. The day of the celebration of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was established by the Church on August 5.

History reference

Tradition says that the place where the Pochaev Lavra is located today was once illuminated by God. In 1340, two monks settled on Pochaev Hill. One of them, having prayed, went to the top, and was suddenly struck by a vision: the Mother of God stood on a stone, enveloped in fire. The monk was not at a loss and called his brother, so that he could see the miracle. There was also a third witness to the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary: the shepherd John Barefoot. The three observers glorified the Lord. The Most Pure One disappeared, but the stone where she stood preserved forever the imprint of the right female foot.

As for the history of religious celebration, it is closely connected with important event of the past, namely with the deliverance of the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra from the Turkish siege, which lasted from July 20 to July 23, 1675.

There was a Zbarazh war. The Polish king Jan Sobieski (1674-1696) was in power at that time. In one of summer days Tatar regiments led by Khan Nurredin chose the Pochaev monastery as their victim. Enemies surrounded the Lavra from all sides. Since the monastery fence was unreliable, however, like the walls of the building, built of stone, the monks were well aware that they could not avoid a direct attack by strangers. There was no point in resisting physically either. The servants of the Lord could repulse the enemies only by turning to the Queen of Heaven for help. And so they did. The initiator of this action was hegumen Joseph Dobromirsky. With the whole world, the inhabitants of the monastery walls prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos and the Monk Job of Pochaev. Together with the monks, the flock prayed fervently. The hostages did not leave the icon of the Mother of God of Pochaevskaya and the shrine with the relics of the saint already mentioned above for several days and nights.

The morning of July 23 came. The abbot ordered the brethren to sing an akathist to the Blessed Virgin Mary in front of her image. When the monks uttered the phrase “To the Chosen Governor”, the Queen of Heaven herself suddenly appeared above the temple with angels holding naked swords in their hands. Next to the Mother of God was the Monk Job of Pochaev. He bowed to the Virgin Mary and prayed for the protection of the Lavra. The Mother of God, on the other hand, spread over the monastery a “white shining omophorion”.

Not only the brethren and the laity saw the heavenly vision, but also the Tatar enemies. The latter, thinking that there was a ghost in front of them, came into complete confusion and began to shoot arrows at the Mother of God and the Monk Job of Pochaev. However, these arrows did not reach their target and, returning back, wounded their senders. The Tatars were seized with panic and horror. They rushed to run, not understanding the road, not understanding where they were and where they were strangers, killing each other. The defenders of the monastery took advantage of this state of enemies and organized the pursuit of the enemy. As a result, many of the Tatars were caught and captured, and subsequently converted to the Christian faith of their own free will. Such foreigners remained in the monastery forever.

Miracles icons

After 46 years, a new disaster struck Pochaev: the city was occupied by the Uniates. And even in this difficult time for the monastery, the icon of the Mother of God, kept within the walls of the monastery, produced especially many miracles: the chronicle recorded 539 such facts of helping people from above.

In general, over the entire period of the existence of the holy image, the Most Pure Virgin regularly showed through him her concern for people. Another thing is that until 1664, the miracles taking place were not recorded anywhere by anyone. The image became miraculous after a certain pious noblewoman Anna Goyskaya, for providing hospitality to the Greek Metropolitan Neophyte, who traveled around Russia, received the blessing of the indicated person with the icon of the Mother of God. Then the image was placed in the chapel of the noble estate, where she stayed for a long time. The servants told Anna more than once that the icon was glowing. Then Goyskaya herself saw the Blessed Virgin in a dream. Shortly thereafter, she witnessed the radiance of the image in reality. Anna realized that the icon had a special grace, and lit a lamp in front of it. Then miracles began to happen through prayers at the holy image. Anna Goyskaya told the monks about them when her own brother received healing from the Mother of God. Those served a prayer service and within the framework of procession The icon was transferred to the Pochaev Hill. There, in the cave where the monks lived, it remained for storage for centuries.

The described took place in 1597. In honor of the miraculous icon, the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God was erected on Pochaev Hill. Later, a monastery grew nearby, the maintenance of which was carried out with funds donated by Anna Goyskaya. It was then that the icon got its name “Pochaevskaya”, which has remained with it to this day.

A curious miracle happened in the second half of the eighteenth century. Uniate Count Nikolai Pototsky accused his coachman of not holding back the enraged horses that overturned the carriage. Enraged, the nobleman drew a pistol with the aim of killing the servant. The coachman turned in despair to the Pochaev Hill and exclaimed: “Mother of God, revealed in the Pochaev icon, save me!” After these words, Pototsky fired, but the weapon misfired. The same thing happened the second and third time. The matter ended with the fact that the coachman remained alive, and his owner went to the Lavra to the miraculous image of the Mother of God, gave all his property at the disposal of the monastery and dedicated himself Virgin Mary. With the donations made by Pototsky, the monks erected a fraternal building and the Assumption Cathedral.

In 1832, the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God returned to the bosom of Orthodoxy. This event was marked by another miracle: at the moment of worshiping the shrine, the blind girl Anna Akimchukova was healed. The little girl, along with her elderly grandmother, came to the Pochaev Icon 200 miles away from Kremenets-Podolsk. After the miracle-working icon, Archbishop Innokenty of Volyn, Hieroarchimandrite of the Lavra, in memory of the extraordinary events, a weekly reading of the cathedral akathist before the holy image was established. A little later, during the administration of the Lavra by Archimandrite Agafangel, Archbishop of Volyn, a special chapel appeared in the choirs of the Holy Trinity Church.

The Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is still kept in the Pochaev Monastery. The monastery is located on the territory of Western Ukraine, in the Ternopil region, the city of Pochaev. The holy image belongs to the iconographic type Tenderness. The Mother of God is depicted on it to the waist. She holds the Divine Infant on her right hand. On the left hand of the Virgin Mary is a scarf, with which she covers the back and legs of Jesus Christ. Right hand The Son of God blesses, the left one rests on the shoulder of the Mother of God. The icon has inscriptions made on Greek. In addition, the image contains miniature images of saints, namely the Monk Martyr Abraham, the First Martyr Stephen, the Prophet Elijah, the Great Martyrs Catherine, Paraskeva and Irina, Saint Mina.

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